


A Hundred Years for the Truth

by Zaadi



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-11
Updated: 2014-04-11
Packaged: 2018-01-19 00:02:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1447894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaadi/pseuds/Zaadi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While wandering through Mirkwood, the dwarves are captured by the elves. But before being thrown into thirteen individual jail cells, they are brought before the Elvenking Thranduil. It goes about as well as expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Hundred Years for the Truth

**Author's Note:**

> In the book, when the dwarves encounter the elves, the Elvenking doesn’t know who Thorin is; he imprisons Thorin because Thorin will not reveal his mission: “’But what brought you into the forest at all?’ asked the king angrily. At that Thorin shut his mouth and would not say another word. ‘Very well!’ said the king. ‘Take him away and keep him safe, until he feels inclined to tell the truth, even if he waits a hundred years.’” Obviously, the movie alters this situation, with Thranduil and Thorin having a history, and Thranduil immediately guessing Thorin’s mission. But the movie does not really explain why Thranduil imprisons the dwarves, just that he does. Furthermore, certain BTS extras have indicated that an initial interview between the Elvenking and the dwarves was filmed. I wondered what that conversation was, and at first concluded that the interview would have to be different than in the book since the situation is different. Once I thought about it, however, I realized that even though the backstory has changed, the situation at hand has not, thus the basic punchline would be the same. So that’s what this is: me just playing around with that initial interview, and all the ways it can still end with Thranduil giving the ultimatum: tell-me-the-truth-or-rot.

**A Hundred Years for the Truth**

* * *

 

 

The dwarves, having been captured by a patrol of elves, are escorted up to Thranduil’s throne and presented to the Elvenking.

“We found them among the spiders,” Legolas says.

“We were almost eaten alive,” Balin says, trying to elicit sympathy.

“Spiders do that,” Thranduil replies. “An excellent way to not get eaten by the spiders is to not be in their territory.  What are you doing in Mirkwood?”

“Nothing,” Thorin says. “We were lost.”

“One cannot get lost in the forest without entering it in the first place,” Thranduil says.  “What brings you to Mirkwood?

After a tense moment of silence, Balin responds: “We were using the Elf-road and lost our way.”

“Did you just say that you’re too stupid to follow a well-marked path?” Legolas asks.

“Clearly it’s not a well-marked path,” Bofur retorts.

“Clean, shiny white stones confuse you?” Legolas says.

“’Using the Elf-road,’” Thranduil repeats, steering the conversation back around to where he wants it to go, “you were cutting through the forest.  What’s so important that you couldn’t go around?”

No one answers—everyone is waiting on what Thorin will say; Thorin says nothing.

_[This is the first place the dialogue can end, with Thorin refusing to respond and Thranduil finally concluding, “If you don’t want to tell me the truth about what you’re doing in Mirkwood, then you can rot.”  Or Thorin can reply.]_

“Nostalgia,” Thorin says, unable to keep the attitude entirely out of his tone.  “I wanted to see the Lonely Mountain one last time.”

“And you needed to get there as quickly as possible because it’s going somewhere?” Thranduil says.

Thorin says nothing.

_[Second possible stopping point: Thorin holds his tongue for what seems like endless seconds until Thranduil gives up on getting a response from him. Or one of the other dwarves can let bravado get the best of him.]_

“We’re taking our mountain back from Smaug!” Ori announces enthusiastically.

Dori shushes Ori, and while no other dwarf speaks up, all stare defiantly at the Elvenking, daring him to doubt them. However, it is Legolas who responds first.

“The thirteen of you are going to attack the dragon?” Legolas says.

“I am going to reclaim what is mine,” Thorin says curtly.

“With an army of thirteen?” Legolas says.

“Only half of whom look like trained warriors,” Thranduil replies to his son.  “Either Thorin is lying or he couldn’t convince anyone else to follow him, which means even his own people think his endeavor is foolish. Tell me Thorin, what’s your plan?”

“What plan?” Thorin says.

“That’s what I suspect,” Thranduil says. “The plan to defeat the Dragon—assuming you have one—assuming that is your true intention here.”

Thorin says nothing.

_[Third potential stopping point, if Thorin persists in reticence and the other dwarves follow suit.  Or maybe Balin thinks they have a chance with the Elvenking and decides to keep the dialogue moving forward.]_

“Assuming the dragon is still alive,” Balin says.

“Maybe I’m just returning to my empty house,” Thorin says.  “What concern is it of yours?”

“Your presence in my realm makes it my concern,” Thranduil says impatiently.  “If your house is not so empty, what do you plan to do?”

Thorin says nothing.

“Perhaps one of your men is secretly an expert dragon slayer,” Thranduil decides to fill Thorin’s silence.

Legolas scoffs and Thranduil continues.

“Perhaps you plan to lure the dragon out by slowly stealing treasure—“

“It’s _our_ treasure,” Gloin interrupts, indignant.

“And we could hardly be stealing what’s already ours,” Bofur adds.

Several other dwarves grunt in support, but not Balin, who discreetly tries to hush everyone; it’s not that no one else notices the Elvenking’s growing ire, its just that no one else cares or thinks it can impact their situation.

“ _Remove_ your treasure, then,” Thranduil concedes, “thirteen items at a time until the dragon notices and comes out to investigate; but instead of wreaking havoc, simply wanders off.  Do you really think you can so easily dislodge him?”

Thorin says nothing.

“Have you considered at all what might actually happen should you provoke the dragon?” Thranduil dispenses with the sarcasm. “For such possibilities would cross the mind of someone who truly intended an assault on Smaug. Now what are you doing in my forest?”

_[Fourth stopping point, with Thranduil again waiting for a reply and getting fed up when a reasonable one is not forthcoming.  Most likely the farthest the interview would actually go since the dwarves, disinclined to explain themselves at all, would take umbrage with Thranduil’s flippancy.  Of course, if one of them wanted to try anyway . . . maybe Ori proves incapable of taking a hint.]_

“Gandalf the Grey believes us,” Ori exclaims, almost interrupting the Elvenking.  “He’s helping us.”

Thorin says nothing, knowing exactly how that sounds.  Dori smacks Ori.

“He should probably stop talking,” Legolas says.

“Yeah, well it’s true,” Bofur says.

Sounds of affirmation come from the other dwarves, but Thorin still says nothing.

“Yet he never mentioned it,” Thranduil says. “Tell me, where is Gandalf? I would love to hear what he has to say about all this.”

"Well,” Bofur says, “the thing is . . .”

“He’s a wizard, isn’t he?” Dori says, keeping one eye on Ori.

“He had to leave,” Balin admits.

“Right outside the forest,” Bofur adds; Bombur smacks him.

“It seems we just missed him,” Thranduil says to Legolas.

“He left for his own reasons,” Balin says, “as I’m sure he’s helping us for his own reasons."

“Do you demand explanations from wizards?” Thorin says. “What is it you want from us?”

“The truth.  You say you are here to take back Erebor, and to accomplish this mission you have no army, no plan, a wizard who is nowhere to be found, and instead of taking the certain route around the forest, you cut through and wander off the path.  And when the dangers of the dangerous forest accost you, you act as though I have intentionally thwarted you, when all I have done is ask the same question that you would be asking me were our positions reversed: _What are you doing in my realm?”_

Thorin says nothing. 

“Very well,” Thranduil says. “Lock them up until they feel inclined to tell me the truth, even if they choose to wait a hundred years.”

_[Final end point, because the only counter Thorin can give to Thranduil’s summation is the approach of Durin’s Day to explain why they were cutting through the forest.  But to admit they are on a schedule would be to give the Elvenking too much power, which Thorin cannot do.]_

 

 


End file.
